Fastener-feeding device



Dec. 15, 1925 1.565.278

J. c. JORGENSEN FASTENER FEEDING DEVICE Filed March 19, 1923 Patentedl5, i925,

MACHINERY COBPORATIDH, OF NEW JERSEY.

a an i l t. i

nests-non r Unrrnn snon annsnv, a CORPORATION or FASTENER-FEEDINGDEVZCE.

Application filed March 19, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Join: C. a citizen of the United States, residing atBeverly, in the county of itssex and titate of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain lmprox ements in l astener-Feeding Devices, of whichthe following description, in connec tion with the accon'ipanyingdrawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawingsindicating like parts in the several figures. This invention relates tofastener feeding devices such as are utilized in, or in connection with,machines for driving nails, tacks or other fasteners, and moreparticularly to those conductors or tubes which are of such smalldiameter that the fasteners cannot turn over in them and which are usedfor directing the fasteners from one location to another, for examplefrom a source of sup ply to the driving means or to mechanism fortransferring the fasteners to the driving means. l'Vhere the source ofsupply and the points of delivery of the fasteners are always in fixedrelation to each other, in'iiex ble metal tubes may be used for thefeeding of the fasteners. In many kinds of ma chines, however, thefastener conductors are connected at their delivery ends to a movablemember or members, for example to fastener holders that move toward andfrom the work with the driving means or to a member that is adjustableto vary the location of the fasteners in the work. In inachines of thischaracter it is often inconvenient or impractical to use inflexibleconductor tubes, and it has been the usual practice, therefore, to useconductors that are "formed of spirally wound wire, in the nature ofcoil springs.

lVhile conductors of this character satisfy the requirement offlexibility and are also inexpensive to make, they are not entirelysatisfactory in other respects, due principally to the fact that betweenadjacent convolutions of the wire there are slight depressions in whichthe point of a nail or tack may catch, particularly if the point issharp and if there is a considerable bend in the conductor. The coiledwire conductors, moreover, sometimes become distorted, for example bybeing elongated too far or otherwise roughly handled in the attempt tofind and dislodge a fastener that has been Joncsnsnn,

caught, and any such distortion greatly in Serial No. 628,11.

creases the liability of an interruption in the regular delivery of thefasteners.

is an object of this invention to provide a conductor for fasteners thatwill meet all requirements in respect to flexity and inexpensiveness,without the disadvantages that have attended the use of the coiled wireconductors. To avoid any danger that fasteners may catch on the wall ofthe conductor, the invention provides a construction in which portionsof the material of the conductor overlap other portions interioriy inthe direction of the feed of the fasteners, the *dge of the materialWithin the conductor thus being directed toward its delivery end withoutany tendency to obstruct or interrupt the feed. A conductor having thedesired characteristics in respect to flexibility and resiliency may beconveniently and economically manufactured in the form of a coil, andfor the purposes of this invention the construction here in showncomprises a coil which is formed of a continuous strip or ribbon ofresilient material, for example spring steel, the coil being wound insuch manner that each of its turns or convolutions projects within theconvolution which is next adjacent to it in the direction of thedelivery end of the conductor. To avoid undesirable enlargement of thediameter of the conductor by reason of the overlapping relation of thedifferent turns of the coil, and to assist in forming a conductor havinga smooth and regular interior surface, the strip of material willpreferably be so shaped that the upper edge portion of each turn orconvolution will he slightly oifset outwardly or flared so that it willbe diametrically enlarged to receive the lower edge portion of theadjacent convolution which may be slightly offset inwardly or contractedto assist in the overlapping of the adjacent portions, as hereinillustrated. This brings the overlapping edge portions of the strip, ofwhich the conductor is formed, substantially parallel to each other onany central longitudinal section of the completed conductor and, tomaintain as small a diameter as possible in the completed conductor,these overlapping portions are in contact with each other substantiallythroughout the width of the overlap.

The invention will now be described more in detail by reference to theaccompanying drawings, after which the novel features will be set forthin the claims.

In the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows in elevation a conductor which embodies the presentinvention, and illustrates by broken lines how the conductor may be bentand elongated in use;

Fig. 2 is a view of a portion of the conductor on an enlarged scale,with a portion of the material broken away to show the construction moreclearly, and

Fig. 3 shows, for the purpose of illustrating one of the various uses ofconductors made in accordance with the invention, a portion of the nailfeeding means of a machine for attaching molded counters to turn shoes.

lVit-h reference, first. to the construction shown in Fig. 3, it will beobserved that a plurality of nail feeding tubes or conductors 2 areprovided, the upper or nail receiving ends of these tubes being fastin aplate 4. and the lower ends of the tubes connected to a plate (3 throughwhich the nails are delivered to the usual nail transferring or loadingdevice. For more detailed information with respect to the constructionof machines of which the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 is adapted to form apart, reference may be made to Jnited States Letters Patent No.1,474,378 granted on Nov. 20, 1923, upon an application of Joseph H.Pope. For an understanding of the uses of the present invention it issuflicient to state that the plate 6 is movably mounted and isadjustable by means of a lever 8 for the purpose of changing thedelivery points of the plate with reference to nail receiving openingsin the transferring mechanism and of thereby varying the ultimatelocation of the nails in the work. By reason of sum adjustability of theplate 6 it is desirable that the nail tubes 2 be flexible in order toaccommodate themselves to the different positions of the plate, and ithas accordingly been the practice heretofore in machines of thischaracter to use nail tubes each formed of a coil of wire.

With reference now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seenthat the nail tube or conductor illustrated as embodying the presentinvention comprises a con tinuous strip or r'bbon of resilient steelwound helically to form a coil in such manner that the edge portion ofthe strip which is directed toward the delivery end of the conductor isinclosed by the opposite edge portion of the strip, so that eachconvolution of the coil projects within the next adjacent convolution inthe direction of the lower or delivery end of the conductor. Theinterior surface of the conductor is thus formed by portions of thestrip that overlap other portions interiorly in the direction of thefeed of the fasteners. There is accordmgly no danger that a fastenerwill catch on the wall of the conductor, since the edge of the materialthat is exposed within the conductor is directed toward the delivery endand not the receiving end. By reference more particularly to Fig. 2 itwill be seen that the strip of material is so shaped that eachconvolution of the coil is of slightly g'eater diameter at its upper endthan at its lower end. the upper edge the strip may be offset outwardlyor flared slightly, and the loweredge may also posite direction, one ofthe objects in view being to avoid progressive enlargement of theconductor as the strip is wound. It

may be preferable, for convenience in attaching the conductor at itsdelivery end, or for other reasons, to wind the material in such mannerthat the conductor will be somewhat contracted in diameter toward itsdelivery end, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Advantage. in the use of a conductor constructed as above described areillustrated in 2 where a nail a is shown at a point where there israther an abrupt bend in the conductor. It will be observed that thereare within the conductor no edges opposed to the direction of the feedof the nail upon which the nail might catch, and it will also be evidentthat by reason of the overlapping relation of the adjacent convolutionsof the conductor material the continuity of the in terior wall ismaintained even if the conductor is considerably bent or elongated. Thisis an advantage in marked distinction from conductors of the coiledspring type where bending or stretching results in separating more orless the adjacent convolutions of the wire and thus increases the dangerthat a nail may catch on the wire. It will also be observed that with aconductor constructed as herein shown there is no danger of distortionthrough relative lateral displacement of adjacent turns of the coil.because of the overlapping relation of the adjacent portions ofmaterial.

It will be understood that conductors embodying the present inventionmay be made of different kinds of material, as may be most suitable forvarious uses, and it is also contemplated that, consistently with theobjects and advantages hereinbefore set forth, the invention may beembodied in constructions differing more or less in detail from theparticular construction shown in the drawings.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In fastener feeding mechanism, a flexible conductor for fastenershaving a diameter that will prevent fasteners from turning over therein,said conductor comprising a ribbon or strip of resilient material woundbe offset slightly in the op' To accomplish this in a helical coil, eachconvolution of which includes a portion which is offset toward thecenter of the conductor and projects within the convolution nextadjacent to it in the direction of the delivery end of the conductor insubstantially parallel relation, longitudinally of the conductor, tothat portion within which it projects.

2. In fastener feeding mechanism, a flexible conductor for fastenershaving a maximum diameter small enough to prevent fasteners from turningover therein, said conductor comprising a strip of sheet material woundin a helical coil, each convolution of which is offset toward its centerfor a portion of its width so that it will project within theconvolution next adjacent to it in the direction of the delivery end ofthe conductor, thereby forming an interior wall the different parts ofwhich are substantially in alinement with one another, the strip beingwound in such a manner that the conductor decreases in diameter towardits delivery end.

In fastener feeding mechanism, a flexible conductor for fastenerscomprising a ribbon of spring steel wound in a helical coil,

each convolution of which has inwardly and outwardly offset portionsacross its width and aranged so that the inwardly offset portion of eachconvolution is enclosed b and is substantially parallel, longitudinallyof the conductor, to the outwardly offset portion of the convolutionnext adjacent to it in the direction of the delivery end of theconductor.

-12. In fastener feeding mechanism, a flexible conductor for fastenerscomprising a continuous strip of resilient sheet material woundhelically with oppositely offset por tions across its width in suchmanner that the edge portion of the strip that is directed toward thedelivery end of the conductor is enclosed by the opposite edge portionof the strip in overlapping relation, each convolution of the strip ofmaterial having a smaller diameter at its enclosed end than at itsopposite end and with the overlapping edge portions in contactsubstantially throughout their width.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN C. JORGENSEN.

